


Recovery

by giraffeduelist



Series: Hurting [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dehydration, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Injury Recovery, M/M, Other, Parents Levi & Erwin Smith, Starvation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:53:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29495364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giraffeduelist/pseuds/giraffeduelist
Summary: After returning to their home, the three children have to learn how to return to the life they lived before being taken from their home. How will their old friends react to their sudden trauma and who are the other children who were also trapped in that warehouse?(The second part to Have You Seen Them?)
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith, Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë
Series: Hurting [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166498
Comments: 7
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part two of Have You Seen Them so if you haven't read that, you won't understand any of this!

Hanji didn't hesitate before pulling Eren and Mikasa into their arms.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay." They let out a heavy breath. The stress over this situation was clear on their face as they looked at the two children. "My goodness are you filthy." Those were strong words coming from Hanji.

Moblit came up behind them with one of their various machines. "We should hook them up to something before we start our analysis. They'll definitely need more sugars in their system." As Hanji slowly let go, the couple began rushing around their -very, very large- machines to gather data and find a decent supply of fluids for each child. It was a mess.

Levi stopped them before they could get carried away, no matter how it hurt his heart to see his children suffer for a moment longer. "Armin needs the most attention." He interjected and the couple turned to look at him, understanding what he meant immediately. The boy couldn't even walk through the door. "The other two got something to drink on the way back, so they shouldn't be as bad, right?" He wasn't sure still. He knew nothing about this sort of thing, only really understanding a few of the terms Hanji to throw out when the two of them talked.

Moblit walked towards him and gently took Armin from his shoulder. "This really isn't good." He hissed in sympathy as he looked at the boy's face. "He's lost so much weight." Before Levi could ask more about that, the child was rushed away towards the machines as well. He was set down on their couch and Hanji began inserting a few different needles filled with liquids. Before now, Levi had always thought Hanji to be more of the mad scientist type, but now, he saw that they were just purely genius when it came to biology. Not that they weren't crazy, though.

"We need to get Armin into a stable position but the other two should be fine if we give them something small to eat for now. Their stomachs have likely shrunk from starvation, so don't feed them too much all at once. One of the cans of soup should be plenty for both of them." Moblit threw over his shoulder before he turned on a heart monitor and grabbed another syringe.

Eren and Mikasa walked back to Levi, their eyes wide with fear, but they didn't seem too bothered by the needles that had previously taken their blood. Something told him that it was wrong to take blood from them when they were like this. Weren't they low in blood sugar? Wouldn't they need all of the blood they could get? But he also wasn't a doctor, so he let it happen.

"Papa?" Eren asked. "Can we eat something, please? I'm really hungry." His voice came out as a whine but Levi didn't care. His focus changed from whatever the scientists were doing to his children.

Picking them both up gently, he walked them down the hall and towards the bathroom. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you always have something to eat, but I need to get the two of you cleaned up first. Who knows what kinds of bad things could get into your blood when you're this filthy." Memories of dying, filthy children pressed at the front of his mind but he shoved it away. They weren't like the children he grew up around. They weren't sick or exposed to the things Levi had been. Things were still different.

He turned on the bath and made sure that the water was on the warmer side before grabbing two towels from the shelf. "Who wants to go first?" He asked, looking at them both.

"Mikasa can go. I wanna stay with you while you make food." Eren said as he looked at the tub nervously.

"But I don't want to be alone." Mikasa argued, her eyes getting wet again as she held Levi's sleeve.

If he were ever given the chance, he would make sure that the people who did this never saw the light of day again. He wanted to rip them limb from limb, to watch them scream for hours on end to pay back only a fraction of what they did to his children.

But he had to focus on this first.

"I don't want to leave you either, but I can't make food for you in here..." He got an idea. "How about both of you take a bath while Papa makes you some soup? You won't be alone and I promise to keep the door open in case you want me." They were only five years old. How bad could sharing a bath be?

The two looked at each other before nodding. "But can we keep a string?" Eren asked as he started taking off his cape.

Levi thought over that offer for a moment. When Mikasa was younger and her trauma more fresh, they had used a little line of string to ensure that she would never stay alone. When they were trying to train her to go to the bathroom alone or even color in a different room from everyone else, they kept that string between them so that whenever she got too scared, she could pull it and Levi would come to her. Eventually, she felt secure enough to stop using the string, but now, he was starting to think that they would have to reintroduce the system. He wondered how Erwin would respond to something like that.

"Alright. Let's go get our string and then you two are getting a bath, okay?" The silent nods he relieved made his heart ache to hear something more excited. Eren was usually full of energy, but now, he looked already to fall asleep.

The three of then walked back into the living room and cut a long piece of yard that would stretch from the kitchen to their bathroom. He could only hope that it wouldn't make any problems for Hanji and Moblit, since it crossed right into their area. Once he tied it around his wrist, he set it into Mikasa's hand.

"If anyone needs help, pull this. I'll be just in the kitchen, okay?" Again, he got two nods before they started taking their clothes off again. Just from the small amount they had taken off, he could tell that the dirt didn't pass too far past the lines of their clothes. Good. At least he could rest assured that they were clothed the whole time. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he found out something else had happened. He wanted to scream just from the thought of that.

As he left to make soup, he frequently looked back into the living room as best he could. There weren't any emergencies just yet and Erwin had yet to return as well. He checked his phone for a message but saw nothing. All he got was the little "seen" icon under his message. As he stirred the soup a few times, he prayed that everything would be okay.

...

Erwin walked back to the parking lot with Pixis. He was relieved to see that Levi left with the children long before. He couldn't forgive himself if they suffered because of him.

"I have to thank you for leaving behind bread crumbs. I likely would've left them all behind had you not made your plans so obvious." Pixis took another drink from his flask, yet his pace didn't waver. He was a master at drinking on the job.

"Like I said before, there was no plan. All I really did was give away the information I had received and let you do the hard part." Erwin continued walking until they got to the car. He opened the door and climbed into the driver's side. No matter how high the man's tolerance was, he wouldn't let Pixis drive them after drinking so much.

Once they had both settled into the car, Erwin turned it on and started to pull out. They were one of the last ones to leave, after the other police cars had fled to rush after the two men. They still had yet to hear more about the chase.

"I appreciate you staying behind with me. I'm sure you're far more worried about your children than this case." Pixis took another drink before capping his flask. "You should return home after this."

Erwin kept his eyes focused on the road ahead of them. "I intend to do just that, though, I'll need to check in with the rest of this case before the day ends. If we give them enough time to pack up and leave, then we might miss our chance." He didn't want them to restart whatever sick business they had going on somewhere else. He didn't want anyone else to go through what he just had and their fight wasn't even over yet. He still had no idea what the situation was like back at home, with Hanji and Moblit. They were both insanely smart but they weren't doctors.

"About that," Pixis started as he looked towards the taller man. "I actually have a team working on finding their main base at this very moment. We're already searched this entire area and there's nothing here to suggest that they have some kind of trafficking circle in this town."

That was a good start, but he still wondered if it would be enough. Who knew how many people were working in this. They still had yet to gather testimonies from the children, but it was too soon to be asking that of them either. They were only five and they had to make the first telling of their stories count.

"I can't promise anything to you, Commander Erwin, but I can say that this will help many people, if we manage to stop this. The kidnappings have been going up lately and this is too much of a coincidence to not be connected."

Erwin couldn't focus on the conversation anymore. All he could think of was returning home to his family and finally, finally seeing them again. He knew Levi enough to tell that he would keep them alive no matter what monsters came their way. And if they really needed to be omitted to the hospital...they would have to do that. They had made sacrifice over sacrifice for the past few weeks and they could do it again if they needed. They'd move into an apartment and sell their house. They could...well, they'd have to figure it out somehow.

Erwin's mind returned to the present when he heard Pixis laugh, his voice cackling as he smiles. "I shouldn't bore you with details you already know. We should just focus on getting you home instead. That's really where you need to be."

"I apologize for zoning out." Erwin sighed. "The world has felt different ever since this happened and I can't quite figure out how to return it to normal, if I even can."

A firm hand clapped onto his shoulder and Erwin felt his shoulders relax ever so slightly. "I don't doubt you'll figure out a solution, Commander. You've always been good at that sort of thing."

...

As soon as Levi entered the bathroom again, his heart melted at the sight of two slightly less filthy children playing with the bubbles in the bathtub. He should've known that they were going to use the soap for bubbles, but he couldn't bring himself to be upset about it. They deserved some fun after what they went through.

Eren turned his head and smiled eagerly at the bowl Levi held in his hand. He reached out towards it, not caring about the bubbles still covering both arms. "Can I have some now?! Can I?!"

Even mikasa tried to reach out for it and it hurt Levi's heart to not offer them both immediately. "Keep your bowls on the edge only. I don't want you dropping any of it in the tub." They both agreed with an eager "Yes, Papa" before he handed the bowls over. They immediately started sipping it from the deep spoons.

Eren's eyes went wide after his fight mouthful and he started to tear up. Levi began to worry it had been too hot and he just burned his son's mouth, but much to his surprise, Eren swallowed and smiled brightly through his tears. "It's so good!" He cried out, taking another mouthful.

Mikasa's reaction was similar, just a bit more quite as she silently cried with him. Her small cheeks puffed out as she swallowed more of her soup. Eventually, her emotions became too much as she lowered her head and sobbed openly. Levi knelt down in front of the tub and ran a hand through her wet hair. It was no longer able to cover most of her face when she looked down and he liked that, but it still looked so rugged.

He silently watched as she slowly gathered herself enough to continue eating. It had just been canned soup. They didn't even really like the stuff, saying it was far too salty for them, yet here they were, crying over how good it was. Levi knew it was no compliment to the soup itself, but rather a testament to how badly they were treated before. If they thought this was good, he couldn't wait to let them eat some of their favorite foods again.

Soon, the bowls were finished as their tears dried as they returned to their bath. Levi took the dishes and set them on the toilet lid as he grabbed a rag to scrub the dirt off.

It was harder said than done. As Levi tried to clean off the dark marks on Eren's arm, he found himself getting frustrated with just how much there was. It wasn't like the thin layer of dust that would occasionally cover them after an evening of playing outside. No, this was like a dark, sticky mud that had been caked on for quite some time. The filth was like a whole new layer of skin for him to rub off.

"Ow, Papa!" Eren complained as he grabbed his arm back. "Don't rub so hard." He pouted as he looked over his arm. There was a pink part just along the middle where Levi had been scrubbing. There was still dirt all around it.

"I'm sorry, but Papa has to get it clean." Would he have to get some better body washes? And Eren's skin was typically tougher than the other two. He couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to clean Mikasa off.

Levi gently took the arm back and used his fingers to scrub instead, hoping it would be slightly more gentle. Every wince this son made put another pin into Levi's aching chest, but there were no more complaints. Finally, after what felt like hours, the boy was completely free of dirt and Levi sighed in satisfaction. He could see his son's full face again. There were still bruises that he had purposefully avoided but he could always bathe them again once those disappeared. For now, he would rejoice with the fact that at least one of them was clean.

Levi held the towel out for Eren to step into and then wrapped it around his shoulders. The boy held it tightly as he stood in the middle of the bathroom. "Where do I go now, Papa?"

"Go get dressed, alright? You can take the string with you, if you need. Then go to Hanji for a check up, okay?" Levi focused his attention onto Mikasa now. She had soaked a little longer, making it slightly easier to scrub off the dead skin cells, but it was still going to be a challenge not to turn her bright red after all of this.

Eren bend down to pick up the string and walked out of the room, a small trail of wet footprints following after him. Levi didn't care of he would end up soaking the carpet. He was just happy to see that there were small footprint in his carpets now.

Mikasa didn't complain at all as he rubbed the dirt off. She was always well behaved and helped to balance out the chaos that had once been his life before he met Erwin. Back then, when it was just him, Mikasa and Eren, he depended on her to keep them all sane. He depended on her a lot and he couldn't possibly regret his decision to become a father.

Eventually, Mikasa was cleaned as well, her skin a slight red, but it wasn't as bad as he had worried. The only issue he saw now was her hair. He had no idea how to fix that mess. Wiping his hands dry, Levi pulled out his phone and searched up short hair styles. He found a few that he liked but decided to let Mikasa do that herself. Turning the phone screen towards her, he scrolled through a few of the options.

"I'm going to fix your hair, so pick one you like."

She peeked over his shoulder and stayed quiet as he scrolled through. Just as they were getting to the bottom of the page, Mikasa reached out and pointed to one of them. "I like that one." She said in a soft voice. It wasn't too much shorter than the hair she had now and...he couldn't do something like that. After learning to cut his own hair from a young age, that would be no big problem.

He saved the image to his phone and sat up. He grabbed the box of hair cutting scissors and razers from below the sink and sorted through them. He checked the sharpness on a few of them before deciding which ones to use. Turning back towards his daughter, Levi grabbed a towel and offered it to her. "I'll cut your hair here so that you can wash it off before going to get dressed, okay?" She gave him a willing nod before climbing out of the tub and wrapping herself in the towel.

Levi grabbed the scissors first and cut away the longer pieces of hair, making everything at least somewhat even. He was thankful that they had decided to keep her bangs normally, otherwise he would really have had to improvise. Once her hair was short enough, he set the scissors aside and grabbed the electric razor and began trimming the ends, closest to her head.

By the time he had finished, Mikasa had something close to a pixie cut and he was actually pretty proud of it. She looked strong and her face was more free. She couldn't hide behind her long hair anymore, but she would still likely manage to use her scarf for that purpose anyway.

Speaking of the scarf, as soon as Levi finished dusting off the hair from her shoulders and set her to get dressed, she bent down to grab her scarf from off of the floor, but he stopped her. "Honey, that's filthy. I'll get it back to you once it's clean."

She gave him a nervous look, her eyes never leaving the red fabric but she did eventually nod, despite how badly she likely wanted to refuse. He admired her strength. He knew just how much that scarf meant to her and he never dared to take it away from her unless he had to. One panic attack over a lost scarf was all he needed.

Levi pulled the string back into the bathroom -Eren had forgotten to return it at some point- and he handed to end to Mikasa. She took it and wrapped it around her fingers a few times, just to make sure it wouldn't go anywhere. It didn't look like it was going to cut off her circulation, so he let her do as she pleased and she walked off to her bedroom. He emptied the bathtub's water, which had turned dark with dirt, and walked out of the bathroom to retrieve a mop. He still had hair to clean up and hopefully, Armin would be fine enough to get his own bath done, though, Levi was starting to doubt.

As he walked back into the main living room, he had to remind himself that this was all for their own good. The machines and testing tubes were meant to help his children, not turn them into experiments. Hanji wasn't trying to see what kinds of structures their cells or whether they would respond poorly to a certain poison.

Everything was going to be okay. He had to remind himself of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Mikasa's hair is basically how it is in the anime now. I didn't want to complicate things by having some other hairstyle that I'd have to find a reference for. I also want to add that Pixis is an amazing character and I just hope I can do him justice, because he's underrated and smarter than people give him credit for.


	2. Chapter 2

When Erwin got home, he was surprised to find two of his children sitting up on their couch, drinking from juice boxes and eating a bowl of soup each. Eren and Mikasa were hooked up to different wires and IV drips, likely brought by Hanji and Moblit, but overall they seemed...strangely fine. When he caught Eren's eyes, the boy looked up in surprise and started to get up.

"Daddy!" He cried as he rushed and Erwin pulled the boy into his arms. He felt smaller than normal, but Erwin wasn't sure if it was just his mind or because of their obvious starvation. Mikasa came up as well, but she didn't hug him. She had always been particular about touching people and a part of him was hurt that she didn't want his comfort as well, but he understood it. What they went through was traumatic enough without their own pasts to fuel that. He couldn't force them to take his comfort if they simply didn't want it.

"You're clean." Was the first thing Erwin said as he ran a hand through Eren's hair. It was still slightly damp, which meant that Levi had gotten to them quickly after they returned home. He didn't expect anything less from his husband. "And you're eating just fine." It was a relief. He had worried that their stomachs wouldn't be able to handle anything they had.

"Papa made us soup and gave us some juice because of the tubes and needles." Eren showed off his juice box as if it were a prize instead of something they deserved in the first place. If they weren't financially struggling at the moment, Erwin would've gone out to get them each a gift on his way home.

Erwin smiled down at his son, kissing his head softly before looking to Mikasa. Levi had fixed her hair, thankfully, but he still ached just from how much she had lost. It used to reach down below her shoulder blades and now, it barely touched the tip of her ears. Who was going to braid it when she felt more confident? Could they still brush it out to sooth her?

"Daddy!" Eren grabbed his attention again. Erwin willingly gave it. "Is Armin going to be okay? He didn't eat much and he still hasn't gotten any soup yet."

Right. That was another thing Erwin wanted to do. Standing up, he took Mikasa and Eren's hands before walking them back to the couch. "I'm sure Armin will be fine." It was to reassure both of them. He had no idea how long they spent without a decent meal but he knew that they each needed at least something. Even if the boy was unconscious, Armin needed nutrients to survive.

"Are you sure?" Eren asked with doubt in his eyes. "All he got was the fruit snacks in Papa's car."

"I'm sure." Erwin sat both children down on the couch before he looked down the hall. Where were Hanji and Moblit? And where was Levi? He could see a light on in the bathroom that he assumed was Levi. "You two stay here so I can-"

"Wait! Don't go!" Eren latched onto his arm, tears pooling at the edges of his eyes. "Don't leave us! Please!" The panic in Eren's eyes was concerning. Very concerning. It made Erwin wish he had never left to work on that day a few weeks ago -was it really one week? They should've stayed with their children. They were only five and if they had just asked, they might've been able to figure something out. Some situation where the three of them wouldn't be alone. Where they wouldn't have been so vulnerable.

Erwin let out a deep breath as he knelt down again. "I want to check on Armin to make sure that he's okay." He spoke in a calm voice.

"But..." The brown haired boy looked away as he hugged himself. Mikasa drew closer and wrapped her arms around him, her head leaning against his shoulder. "I don't wanna be alone again." He whispered it so painfully. No child should have to feel this way. No child deserved to feel so desperate just to be held.

It took a moment, but Erwin eventually nodded. "I won't leave you, then." He sat beside them on the couch and both immediately crawled into his lap, holding tightly onto his shirt. "I love you two very much. I don't know what I would've done without you." His voice threatened to crack at the end. He loved them each so, so much.

They sat in silence as he simply sat with the two. He cherished every second he could spend with them, wishing that he hadn't lost a full week. They could've done so much over that time. How many play dates would they have arranged between their school mates? How many nights of playing together or eating dinner at the table? How many times would they want to deeply explain something new that they learned that day?

He even missed the hard parts of parenting. He missed how Eren would scream and shout before finally letting himself get tucked into bed. Or how Mikasa always clung to them so tightly it almost hurt from time to time. Or whenever Armin and Eren got into fights over their cape or some other game they were playing. How many of those would Erwin had dismissed before he learned to love even those parts of their life.

"Daddy?" He heard Mikasa mutter into his shirt.

"What is it, Sweetie?" He asked as he looked down at her.

She shifted for a moment, removing her mouth from the soft fabric of his shirt before speaking again. "Can we sleep in your room tonight? I don't want any nightmares."

He knew nightmares were bound to happen whether she slept with him or not, but he nodded anyway, feeling a new sense of joy from the suggestion alone. "Of course. You can all sleep with us tonight if you want." He turned to Eren and was relieved to find the boy nodding eagerly.

After a moment, Eren frowned. "But how are we gonna fit?"

"Maybe we could make ourselves a little hideout in the living room? We could put up pillows and blankets for everyone to sleep on." The thought of sleeping on the floor already made his back begin to ache, but if it meant that he could be closer to his children, then he would do it. Besides, he wasn't sure how far Hanji's machines could go and it would likely be too much of a hassle to move them around. So, the living room was the best idea.

Sitting up, Erwin smiled down at them. "How about we start on it now. Let's go get some blankets and pillows to make a hideout, okay?" It was already getting dark outside and he wanted them to get the rest they needed.

Eren smiled as he hopped off of the couch. "It can be a surprise for Papa!" He looked back at the bathroom before rushing towards the closet to grab a few pillows. Mikasa followed and grabbed all five of their extra pillows.

Erwin felt his chest ache as he watched them. He missed this so much and there was no way he couldn't lived without them. They were his everything. His whole world and there was no living without that.

...

"Do you think he'll wake up soon?" Levi asked as he ran a sponge across Armin's soft cheek. He was no easier to clean that the other two and his hair was still looking muddy and dark. It was supposed to be a brighter blond, just like his father. Levi let out a frustrated sigh before adding another handful of shampoo to try it all again.

"I can't say." Hanji said as they helped him wash off the dark spots. "He's in pretty bad shape and if it were an option, I would definitely suggest he be taken to the hospital, but you can't." There was a tense silence between them for a moment.

Levi couldn't bring his eyes away from how Armin's ribs stuck out. He was starved and he didn't want to imagine how long it would've taken for him to -Levi let out a harsh breath. "I should've killed them when I had the chance." Not only did the people responsible for this hurt their children, but they took the money with them. He knew that Pixis was likely working hard on the case, but he still wondered if they would ever get that money back. Sure, trying to give back as much as they could would be a hassle, but he didn't want to loose their home on top of everything else. The children needed some kind of stability at the moment.

A hand came down on his shoulder but he didn't bother to look up. "Levi, we'll do the best we can for him. I don't want to lose any of these kids either." Although they were speaking honestly, it wasn't very reassuring. He had no doubt that they would do their best, but how could he know for sure if it would work? How could he trust their machines or mediations? How could he know that nothing bad was going to happen? That he wasn't being lulled into a false sense of safety?

"Thanks." Was all he could manage. This was difficult. Incredibly so and he still had yet to figure out what kinds of diets they'd need after this. Was he supposed to jam each meal full of nutrients and vitamins, or was he supposed to keep things light as to not overwhelm their systems? He didn't know the first thing about this sort of thing but going to get help would cost them money that they didn't have.

Levi lathered his hands through Armin's hair and finally, he started to see that original color coming through. He scrubbed hard at the scalp, hoping that the poor boy wouldn't wake up with a headache from all of this, but every spec of dirt he saw made him want to sweat with anxiety. His children were messy but they were never this filthy. Even after playing outside, he would always make them wash up. And if they got into some mud or got especially dirty, a bath was in order. It was never anything like this.

As they scrubbed, the child suddenly flinched, his entire body curling slightly and his eyes squeezed tighter shut. Levi jumped himself, both hands immediately pulling away from his hair as he stared. What...what was that? He looked over the boy for a moment, searching for any sign of injury before spotting Hanji staring at Armin's finger tips. Their expression was dark.

"Levi. Do you see this?" They asked as they slowly brought the boy's hand towards him. At first, he didn't see anything unusual, but once the soft fingers were close enough, he noticed what this was about. His anger roared but he fought to keep it down.

The tips of his fingers were cut and it wasn't small by any means. The middle finger has less than the other three, even part of the nail missing from the dark scape that had covered the injury. The other fingers had only a small amount of the flesh cut and then the pinky and thumb were left unharmed. Even so, he felt his muscles twitch with the urge to draw a weapon and hurt someone, but he couldn't. The people who did this weren't with him and if they were, he would've ended them long before now.

"It's uneven, meaning that it was likely all done with a single stroke." Hanji continued as they looked at each finger. They were probably infected. Definitely infected.

"Do you think it was a knife?" He asked. Perhaps he could draw out those monsters' punishments more. He could repay everything that they did to the children. He didn't mind cutting off the tips of their fingers. Not at all.

"I doubt it. It was too clean of a cut for that. Probably something else, but I'm not sure what. I'd say a razor blade but those are too small for this." They tapped at their chin as they stared. "I don't exactly what to ask him. Who knows what they might've done."

Levi let out a sigh. They were right. They would eventually have to talk about what happened with the children, but not now. It was too fresh and their trauma could very easily break into a panic attack out two. It would make things worse.

They fell back into silence as Hanji tried to gently clean out the cuts. They started to bleed a little, but it wasn't much. They eventually moved on from that, though, Levi refused to let himself forget about it. By the time they managed to get Armin completely clean and rinsed off, the boy's eyes began to flutter open. It was perfect timing, really. Levi had no idea how they would dry him off without more help.

The boy let out a weak groan as he tried to move his arm. It shook as it raised and them fell back into the water. Slowly, his eyes opened but the shut again from the bright lights. He groaned again, squeezing his eyes shut this time as he tried to look up again. Levi felt the air leave his lungs at the sight of those bright blue eyes. They really were just like Erwin's.

"Papa?" He asked with a harsh croak. He was probably beyond thirsty, but they had to get him dressed first.

"Hey, Armin." He smiled down at the boy as Hanji grabbed a towel. "How are you?"

He took a moment to evaluate himself before whimpering. "It hurts." He muttered, his chin wobbling as his eyes watered. Levi's throat tightened.

"Where does it hurt?" His eyes went to the fingertips, expecting that to be his answer, but much to his surprise, the boy pointed to his mouth. Levi furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down again. "Why does your mouth hurt?"

"They cut it." He answered softly before opening wide. Levi took a moment to look and his eyes grew at the sight. There was an angry cut on his tongue. That was definitely infected as well. "It hurts." He repeated as he closed his mouth again.

Levi looked to Hanji as he held Armin's head. "Look at this." He moved to the side so that Hanji could get a better view. "Open your mouth again." The obvious pain in the boy's eyes made Levi want to freeze time, just so that his son wouldn't have to feel it anymore. But he couldn't. All he could do was trust in Hanji's abilities.

The boy opened his mouth again, less wide this time as he whimpered softly. Hanji took a look and their eyes went wide. "Oh..." Despite the mixture of emotions they must've been feeling, Hanji never looked away. "I don't think he'll need stitches, but I'll get something to clean it and gauze for it." Armin closed his mouth again as the scientist stood. "I'll be back." They said before rushing out.

Levi continued to hold his child's head, running a few fingers through the wet hair. He hoped it was a soothing gesture. Armin's eyes searched the bathroom for a moment before closing again. He let a few shaky breaths from his nose, his lip trembling softly. How did this happen? How did any of this happen? Why were the other two left mostly unharmed while Armin was covered in scrapes and cuts. He didn't want to ask, fearing that it would only make things worse, but...he needed to know what happened to them in order to help fix it.

Footsteps drew closer but instead of Hanji, Levi watched Moblit walk into the bathroom. "Erwin returned and Hanji wanted to update him on their conditions." He set the package of gauze on the edge of the tub and held up the glass of water. He gave Armin a gentle smile before reaching into the water to help support his back. "This will help disinfect the wound. Could you sit up for me, please?"

Armin winced before nodding slowly. Levi watched the boy's weak muscles flex as he tried to reach out for the edge of the tub and pull himself up, but he lacked the strength. His arm shook with the effort it took just to lift his head. Levi had seen enough and began lifting with his own arms. It was too easy to push the boy into a slightly sitting position. Levi was strong, incredibly so, and Armin had always been on the smaller side, but this...he was too light, even for a child his age.

Once Armin was upright just enough to drink something without spilling it, Moblit brought the cup to the edge of his lips and slowly tipped it up. Armin parted his lips just enough for the water to pass through, but once it had, the boy flinched violently and pushed against Moblit's hand. Levi grit his teeth and shoved the man back, his instincts acting before his mind could stop him. All he could think about was protecting his child.

Moblit sputtered as his head met the tile. "It's just salt water." He winced as he sat up, cautious of Levi's hands. "I should've warned that it would sting. That's on me, but he has to clean the cut."

Levi looked at the now half full cup of salt water for a moment, trying to calm his racing heart. He still felt the urge to order the man out of the room and slam the door behind him, but this wasn't about him. This was about Armin's safety and if a little more pain would make is end sooner, then he would have to endure. "Alright." Levi sat back and let Moblit closer again.

"I'm sorry, Armin." The man whispered before tipping the cup back again. Armin flinched but it wasn't as bad. He took a mouthful of the water before pushing against Moblit's hand again. The scientists took it away but held it close. "Don't spit it until I tell you. You have to swish it around? Okay?"

Tears were falling down the boy's cheeks as he followed the instructions. His fragile limbs shook as he swished the water around his mouth and finally, after what felt like forever, Armin was allowed to spit it out. The water came back slightly bloody this time but Levi took it as a good sign. If the wound is open, then they were able to disinfect it, right? And then they can make sure it doesn't get anything inside with the gauze.

Moblit used careful hands to insert the gauze just beside Armin's tongue. The poor boy was still crying but Levi had a few ideas of how to cheer him up a bit. He deserved something nice after all of this. Moblit smiled as he packed away the few things he brought. "You did very well, Armin. You're so brave." The man's encouraging words didn't do much to stop the deep frown on Armin's face. Moblit's smile saddened as he got up and left. Now, it was Levi's turn to take over.

"Let's get you dressed, okay?" Levi stood up and grabbed a towel from the cabinet before holding it up. Could Armin even stand like this? He wasn't sure. "Can you get up?"

Armin's arms went back to the edge of the tub and he pushed up. They shook, but he was able to get into a sitting up position. Slowly, his legs moved under himself but they were already shaking with effort. By the time he started standing, the boy's grip on the tub weakened and he went crashing back into the water. Levi managed to catch him before he fully submerged himself. Armin began to tremble, either from the used energy or the cold, but Levi picked him up before he could suffer much longer. He wrapped the towel around the boy's body and held him in his arms. He was warm now. He was safe.

Levi carried him all the way to the children's bedroom and picked out a pair of clothes. Armin had so many little sweaters and button up shirts, but he decided on silky pajamas instead. With the pajamas in one hand and a child in the other, Levi did he best to dry Armin off before setting him down on the bed. The boy lay back, his eyelids drooped from exhaustion. It was adorable, in a way. Levi only wished that it wasn't a result of severe abuse.

"Let's get you dressed now, okay?" He made sure to wait for a nod before taking away the towel. Levi slipped on some underwear first before dressing the boy in his onesie. It was warm and he can see the relief in Armin's eyes as he cuddled close to the fabric. It was tempting to stay there forever, watching over his son, but Levi knew he couldn't. Armin still needed food and water as well as some good rest. "I'll be back." He whispered as he stood up.

Armin's eyes went wide as his hand reached out and gripped Levi's sleeve. He couldn't speak around the gauze in his mouth but the whimper of alarm was enough to tell what he meant. Levi knelt down again and picked up the string Mikasa had left in the room. He carefully tied it around his wrist again and let Armin hold the end. Despite his weakness, the hold he had was strong, his small knuckles going white.

"I won't leave you for too long, okay? I'm getting you some food." Armin didn't nod this time but Levi didn't have time to debate with him about this. He needed something soon. Standing up, Levi grabbed the pink futon from the top bunk and tucked it underneath his arm to throw into the dryer for a few minutes just to make it warm. "I love you." He whispered before walking out, making sure not to tangle the string as he did so.

...

Erwin felt his entire soul sigh as he saw Levi walk into the room. He looked beyond exhausted but there was a gentle smile on his lips that meant everything was going to be okay. Despite his urge to go and stand beside his husband, he needed to stay with the children for now.

Thankfully, Levi spotted them and stopped. He eyed their pillow fort with a fondness that the man had been lacking all week. "Did you two finish eating your soup?" He asked as he bend down to look at them. Eren came crawling out from inside, his face lighting up.

"Papa!" The boy rushed over and wrapped his arms around his father. "Is Armin okay?"

"I'm getting him something to eat now. He's awake, but don't-"

"Let's go see him, Mikasa!" Eren said as he began to let go of Levi's shirt but the man caught him by the arm.

"Armin needs to rest right now. He's still not feeling well and can barely hold himself up as it is. He's not in any condition to be playing." Levi let go of Eren's arm once he was sure the boy wouldn't go running away. Eren looked at the hall with a sad expression but it was one that held some kind of understanding. They knew why he was this sick and wouldn't risk his health. Erwin almost wished they were ignorant of their own situation, just to see their innocence.

Instead, Eren walked back towards the pillow fort and began placing more blankets around. Erwin locked eyes with his husband for a moment and gave him a soft smile before returning to what he was doing. They still had so much to talk about, but that could wait until tomorrow. For now, they would enjoy having their family back together.

Levi left the room to retrieve rood, Erwin assumed, and not long after, soft footsteps could be heard coming from the hall. Erwin thought it was Hanji at first, who had rushed away to find a thermometer and had yet to return, but much to his surprise, he saw Armin walking towards them. His entire body was leaning against the wall and he was panting hard with every shaky step.

Erwin immediately stood and rushed to his son, picking him up as gently as he could. "Armin." He was caught between feeling overwhelmingly worried and relieved to see him. He missed those soft, blue eyes. They held a kindness that always reminded him of the boy's mother. His hair was still damp, like Eren and Mikasa's, and he was wearing a soft onesie. There were obvious signs of starvation and abuse that he chose to analyze at another time.

Instead of saying anything, Armin just wrapped his small arms around Erwin's neck and began to sob into his shirt. Erwin felt like joining him, his eyes pressing with tears that he didn't let fall just yet. He kissed the boy's head gently and whispered softly to him. "I love you, Armin. I love you so much."

It didn't take long before Eren and Mikasa saw and began racing towards them. They asked questions that he didn't know the answer to, so Erwin just walked all four of them towards the pillow fort and sat in the middle. Two other pairs of arms wrapped around him as well and this time, he couldn't stop himself from shedding a single tear. His family was back. The horrors were over and they were finally okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this is a lot longer than I wanted it to be. I was actually going to add a different scene in this but I've decided to save that for the next chapter. That's when we introduce a few new characters. I'm super excited for it!


	3. Chapter 3

Erwin sat on their long couch as he turned on the TV. Hanji was checking up on Armin and Eren while Levi watched them like a hawk. It was almost funny to think that the man had been so stoic and easily irritated before. He was difficult to work with for most people but a powerful tool in their line of work. He had been a thug, someone who actually strived to hurt the government and their soldiers.

Now, though, seeing Levi pace circles around the room as he frequently asked if anyone needed help...it was easy to see how fatherhood had changed him. Even as a foster father, he became kinder and more tolerable. His bad mouth was reduced to the more simple curses and a few fake ones as he tried to rearrange his vocabulary to help his children in a better environment.

Then, when they started dating and Levi met Armin, his heart seemed to bloom. The two were opposites in every way. Levi didn't hesitate to hurt someone who was out of line and then criticize them for it after. He was bold and strong and harsh, while Armin had the most gentle soul. He refused to fight back against bullies no matter how they hurt him and though he wasn't as strong as Mikasa or Eren, he still had power in the way he used his words. Levi had commented that he inherited it all from Erwin, but the truth was that his mother had been the kind one. Everything perfect about Armin came from her.

Erwin was slowly pulled back into reality when the video he put in started to play. Mikasa was leaning against him, another juice box in her hand. She was quiet, even as she sipped at her drink, but he apricated it. After a restless night of kicking children and scary dreams waking them up every so often, as well as a strange sleeping schedule change that they would have to address, it was difficult for any of them to actually rest.

"Have you seen this one yet?" He asked as he looked down at her. She didn't answer, just continued staring. He was starting to worry whether this was her normal quiet self or a side effect from her trauma when she sat up slightly to look up.

"Yeah. I like this one."

He smiled down at her before returning his gaze to the TV. They didn't have many baby videos, since nearly half of their family had been adopted -and the children didn't really care to watch their parents as babies- but they did have a few. The police officers working over Eren and Mikasa's legal cases had managed to find a few old photos and videos for Levi to have. Sadly, most of them took place before Mikasa joined the Jaeger family.

On the TV, a younger Eren and Mikasa sat in the middle of the different living room, playing with little figures and dolls. They were three or so in the video, not long unfortunate loss of their parents. They were too young to fully figure out a story line, so they just swung the toys around at each other. Eren's dinosaur was eating Mikasa's little princess, but she didn't let the monster take her over as she soon pushed the dinosaur -and Eren's hand- away.

"Aren't they cute?" The voice from the video said. Erwin assumed it was Carla Jaeger, their mother. She was the one who took most of the videos, since her husband was a very, very busy person. The children continued to half play and half fight as their toys fought each other.

This was one of Erwin's favorite videos. It felt like a small peek into the two children's lives before they met Levi. This was a life they lived before their trauma of losing their entire family. This was something innocent that they didn't often talk about, even years after the incident. It was something he wished he could've been there for, even as only a friend to the family rather than the father of the two children.

He often dreamt of speaking to the couple himself. If he could somehow turn back time and ask them questions he was dying to know. He wondered where Mikasa's true family came from or the kinds of traditions they held. She looked nothing like the other Jaegers and her file said she was adopted by them, but why? He also wondered if they had a spare file of their family tree for him to analyze. It would help a lot whenever they went to the doctor. Not knowing what kinds of diseases the two could possibly have was a present concern. Mikasa had to have inherited her Celiac Disease from somewhere, right?

"Daddy?" Mikasa's voice called to him and Erwin looked down expectantly. "Do you think the girls in my class will laugh at my hair?"

Erwin's heart broke as he pulled on a smile. "Of course not. Why would they do that?" And if they did, he could make sure that they never did it again.

"I look like a boy." She sunk in her seat, trying to cover more of her head with her red scarf.

Erwin sat up straight as he brought an arm to wrap around her small form. For once, she leaned into the touch instead of backing away. "Mikasa, I think that your hair is beautiful. I do miss how long it was, but I think this suits you as well." He ran a few fingers through the short locks.

"But I'm not pretty anymore." She wasn't crying yet, but he could tell that this was hitting a deep insecurity inside. She was always one to hide in her hair and now that that was gone, she probably felt too exposed. Vulnerable.

Gently, he tilted her head up and gave her the warmest smile he could. "You know, girls with short hair can be pretty too." Something suddenly struck him and he pulled his phone out. "You know, there used to be women knights back in the day. They would lead armies and fight just as valiantly as the men in the battle field. They were a marvel to see and many of them had short hair."

Although it was subtle, he saw Mikasa's eyes widen with excitement. "Really?" She asked breathily.

"Indeed. I actually have a book-" Oh. He had sold that one to gather ransom money. "Ah-anyway." He continued. "There have been many strong women through history and they had short hair, just like yours. Remember learning about Amelia Earhart? Or the Flappers from the 1920s. They were very beautiful as well." If only he still had those books to show her. She might've been able to read a few with his help.

Mikasa looked away from him as she stared at the TV again, the scene changing to a time with just Eren crawling around as a baby. "Hey, Daddy?" She asked with a slight smile on her tired face.

"Yes?" He found it funny that she would ask him for his attention just after their conversation.

"Can I be one of those girls for next Halloween?"

The image of her dressed up in a pilot's uniform or even with a flapper dress on made his heart fill with affection. "Of course." He leaned down and kisses the top of her head softly before sitting up again to watch the video with her. Even if they didn't have any money and wouldn't have any by the time October came around, he could still figure something out for her. He would make sure his daughter could be strong like her idols.

...

Annie panted as she kicked at the wall again. Her muscles were growing soar from the exertion but it was nothing she wasn't already used to. In fact, her soar muscles had been a part of why she was trapped in this situation in the first place.

She glared at the chipped and cracked part of the wall she had been kicking. She knew she wasn't going to get through it by the time their kidnappers managed to kill her and the others off, but she wasn't one to sit back and give up. On the other side of that wall was freedom and if she somehow managed to get through, then she could escape.

Today marked the fourth week they had been trapped in whatever prison this was and another week would surely kill them. She could hear the way the kidnappers talked, mentioning other kids and how they sold a few not too long ago. This was a bad place to be in and it was only a matter of time before she and the rest of them were shipped off. She didn't want to become a slave to someone else's will. Not again. She wouldn't let them break her further.

There were voices outside that she couldn't quite hear. Annie lowered her leg from where it stood against the wall and sat back on the floor, covering her chest with her knees. At this point, she had gotten good at telling which voices meant people were just passing by and which ones meant that someone was going to feed her. It was usually the former, since they were only fed so often, but this time, something felt different.

"Get as many as you can and leave! They'll tear down the entire circle if we wait!" Someone shouted as they rushed past her door. The one beside her opened and she stood. This wasn't normal at all.

"Do you have more rope?" Someone else asked. She could just barely see them from the window.

Realization came to her as she listened into their conversation. They were taking them away. Tying them up and selling them somewhere. This was the end of the road for all of them.

The door opened and Annie stood her ground as the man came in. He looked nervous and as he approached to wrap her in the frayed rope, she side stepped and kicked his legs out from underneath him. Despite her short stature and young age, she had been building up for this. Four weeks of hard training, as well as what she had been doing with her father before all of this, lead to very strong legs.

The man fell backward with a shout, his back hitting the floor. She didn't have time to properly assess his injuries. She had to get out of there.

As Annie ran out of her now open cell, she saw her two other companions getting tied up as well. To their credit, they were fighting back as well as they could, but neither of them were in a good position to win against an adult. Bertholdt kicked against the wall to try and knock the person behind him over, but they didn't so much as budge against him. Reiner was already being pressed against the floor as they tightly wound his hands behind his back.

Annie only took a split second to decide what to do. At first, she had intended to leave on her own, her old friends were only going to slow her down, but in the end, her heart won over her mind. She couldn't leave them to be abused by someone else. She could never wish that fate on anyone, let alone the only two people she had left.

She rushed forward, his eyes dead set on the first man's legs as she kicked up. He gasped and fell backward, bringing Bertholdt with him. The boy hit the ground hard and for a moment, she hesitated, but then he started to get up and relief rushed through her. Not that she'd ever admit to it, though.

Grabbing Bertholdt's hand, she pulled him towards the last person and prepared to strike. They were aware of her, probably saw her attack just moment before and they stood from their kneeling position. Annie didn't hesitate as she kicked again, this time, aiming for the tender spot on their upper thigh. If she hit it just right, it should send a jolt of pain through their leg and make them fall. Or, at least it would make it harder for them to chance the three children.

Annie's kick didn't land, though. Instead, the person took a step back and pulled Reiner with them. They now had him in a choke hold, their much larger arm nearly covering all of the younger boy's neck. His bound arms struggled to get free as he choked on air. Annie stopped, her hand still tightly squeezing Bertholdt's sweaty hand. She couldn't let him do something stupid for the sake of his best friend. They had to play this out right, otherwise, they'd loose another comrade.

"That's right. Stay there and I won't kill him." Their kidnapper gave them a wicked smirk. There were feet shuffling behind them, likely the other people starting to recover from her hits. This was a bad situation, but she could still see an opening. They weren't surrounded just yet and if she could just get Reiner, then they could run away to freedom. They could finally be out of this horrible place and maybe, she could go home.

"You two!" Their kidnapper shouted towards the others behind them. Annie didn't dare look back, afraid that it would end their chance at freedom then and there. Bertholdt did look, though. She could feel it in the way that he tried to pull at her.

"Annie..." He croaked through a soar throat. Annie ignored him in favor of staring ahead.

Reiner's face was starting to go red as he gasped for breath. His eyes were squeezed tightly but he couldn't even try to pull the arm away. He was just barely standing on the tips of his toes, his whole body beginning to shake with the effort it took.

What could she do? She was running out of time and if they didn't leave soon, none of them would go home. For a moment, that thought of just leaving him came again. He was the reason Marcel wasn't with them anymore. He was frustrating and weak and Annie never really liked him, but...she couldn't do that. She couldn't willingly let someone else die. Even if it was the right choice, she had to believe that there was an option where she could save both.

Just as Reiner started to grow weaker, his eyes watering as he desperately searched for breath, Annie pushed forward and kicked at their kidnapper's open shin. They shouted in surprise and pain as they lowered their arm slightly, but the grip didn't loosen. That gave Reiner the perfect opportunity to stomp down on their foot and finally break free. He fell to his knees as he gasped for breath, his face slowly turning into a more natural color.

Bertholdt joined them, his hands going to untie his friend's hands. They didn't have time for this. The others were already starting to move again and they would already have to drag Reiner along as it was. gritting her teeth, Annie pushed forward and grabbed at both of the boys' shirts. She then pulled them after her as she ran out of the hall. It was a miracle that neither of them fall over, but they did stumble most of the time.

"You stupid kids! Get them!" One of them said, but Annie didn't wait long enough to see which one. Instead, she continued racing away from them and towards their freedom. As they ran, she felt Bertholdt and Reiner take her hands instead and they ran in unison. As they passed through more rooms and halls, they saw other children being taken away. Annie felt her heart pull towards them, but she refused to stop. They couldn't save everyone. She wasn't some kind of hero. She just wanted her friends to be safe as well.

As they ran, they began to see more adults running away from the direction the three were going in, but just as Annie stopped them to prepare for another fight, the adults rushed right past them, not caring to give them a second look. Annie's eye went wide as she watched them leave. What was going on?

"Did they just..." Bertholdt asked as he looked towards her. She found it irritating that they always looked at her for answers. She wasn't the smartest one among them. She was just logical and knew when it was time to leave. Which was now.

"Come on!" She urged them forward, pushing past a few other people as they went. They pressed closer and closer to their exit and finally, as they made it to the last door, they stopped to see that it was already open and flooding with people in uniform. She didn't know any of them personally but the sight of them still filled her with overwhelming relief. As they started pushing past the free, someone knelt in front of them, their smile soft and kind as they spoke in a gentle voice.

"Did you three get away?" She asked, her hand offered to them but not encroaching on their space. Annie didn't feel like being touched at the moment anyway.

The officer didn't wait for a response before she stood up again. "Come with me. I'll get you to a doctor and they'll patch you up from there, okay?"

Annie didn't let go of either Bertholdt or Reiner's hands as they walked. Despite the relief flooding through her, she still didn't feel safe. There was still a chance they could be taken away again or separated.

Annie took a deep breath and together, the followed the officer out of the door and outside. Annie squinted at the bright sunlight that rained down on them. It was warm and she could practically feel her cheek glowing from it's radiance. How long had it been since they saw the sun? How long did they spend in that horrible place, away from everything they knew and loved. With her bare feet, Annie could feel the soft dirt under them

Suddenly, she wanted to run. Really run. She wanted to soar through the air as she actually used her limbs for more than just kicking over and over again. She wanted to feel the wind rush against her face and lift her hair from her shoulders. She wanted to move so badly, but she was also dreadfully tired and if she ran, someone would chase her. So, she just continued to walk as the kind officer brought them towards an ambulance. No one else was around except for the people in white coats with red roses on the chest.

"These are the first ones, huh?" One of the doctors asked as he ventured closer to them. "I'm doctor Hannes and my team here will be helping to assess you three, okay?" The other doctors and nurses didn't hesitate to surround them. Annie started to feel anxious again and she felt Bertholdt press close against her. "Hey, give the kids some space." Dr. Hannes shooed the others away as he knelt in front of them. He gave them each a smile before offering his hand just like the officer lady had.

"Alright. Which one of you three want to be checked over first? It won't be a long wait, I promise. Just want to make sure you're in proper shape to get to the hospital."

Annie took a moment to look at the boys beside her. Reiner's neck looked like it was starting to bruise slightly but he wasn't hunched over like Bertholdt. He got hurt during their separation just last week and it looked like he hadn't recovered just yet. A kick to the stomach from a fully grown adult wasn't something even Annie could so easily brush off.

Without really thinking, Annie's hand pointed towards Bertholdt. To her surprise, Reiner's followed it as well while the taller boy pointed to the latter. Dr. Hannes smiles at them before gently offering his hand to Bertholdt specifically.

"Come with me. My nurses will check the other two, okay?" It took a moment, but eventually, Bertholdt took his hand and walked towards the ambulance with him. Annie watched patiently as he was checked over. A nurse came up to her for her own check and Annie had to resist the urge to shove away. She didn't feel like she needed a check over. She was fine compared to the other two, who still had marks and cuts from their past week or so. She wasn't dying like they were.

Despite her urge to resist, Annie sat down on a little stool as a nurse looked over her. He checked her eyes and then her mouth. "How long has it been since you had something to eat or drink?" He asked as he searched her ears.

"What day is it?" She asked softly. She age three days ago and got a drink of water yesterday, but she didn't feel like saying it in so many words.

"It's Saturday, the thirteenth or August." He answered back easily.

August. How had so much time come and gone by? Should must've started without her. Her father wouldn't be too happy about that, especially since this year was supposed to be special. She was going into the first grade at a new town and her father always talked about how good this change in their lives was. Now, she had missed out on the start of it. Were other kids going to make fun of her for starting late?

"I ate on..." She tried to count back the days. What was three days before Saturday? "Thursday." She decided. "And drank on Friday."

The nurse's eyebrows furrowed and he looked away. "And what did you eat?" He asked as he grabbed a juice box and packet of crackers from a box.

"Bread and water." She watched him hold the two items carefully. Her stomach grumbled, desperate to get even a taste of what he had, but she didn't pry. Father always warned her against biting the hands that fed her. She had to stay patient.

Eventually, he handed over the two and she took them eagerly. Her hands shook with excitement as she cracked open the crackers first, taking a large bite out of the first one. It didn't taste like much, but the salt sent signals all throughout her body. It was so much better than what she had before. She could eat millions of these crackers without getting sick of them!

For a moment, the nurse left her side but she didn't care. Instead, she finished off her first cracker and then opened the juice box. She stabbed the straw threw the little aluminum hole and them drank. Her eyes went wide as the cold, fresh liquid flooded her mouth. She was in shock for a moment, unable to do anything but hold the juice in her mouth. Her life become perfect in that moment. Nothing could ever go wrong if things tasted this good!

She kicked her legs lazily as she continued to drink to her heart's content, every burst of liquid gold that his her tongue exploding in her mouth over and over. It was such a strange but welcome sensation. She never wanted to stop this new array of flavors but eventually, her juice ran out and she was left with only two crackers remaining.

As Annie looked up at the sky, she couldn't help but smile. Maybe things really were going to change. For once, she could let herself relax. She wasn't in charge of keeping her and the two idiots safe anymore. They were going to go home soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, the average word count keeping going higher and higher! On a side note, I've been ready for this chapter for forever! I loved the idea of including these three and I have so much more planned out for them. But don't worry! We'll keep our focus on our main three!


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, I can confidently say that all three of them are on the track to recovery." Hanji spoke with a smile, though, Erwin could tell that there was still something pressing on their mind.

"Thank you." Levi spoke first, his voice dripping with relief. "We owe you so much."

Hanji waved their hand as if to dismiss his words but then paused. "Hey, maybe there's a way you could repay me." That evil smile spread across their face and Levi's grateful look fell.

He paused for a moment, seeming to think this over before sighing. "Fine. What do you want?"

Erwin wasn't exactly sure what all they could offer. They still had yet to find the two that had taken their money and were struggling to come up with a way to keep their home. They didn't exactly have the funds to be offering Hanji anything expensive.

Thankfully, their evil smile left and they put both hands on their hips. "Two things. One, you keep me updated on this entire case. I want to know if anything changes so that I can be there for the kids." That sounded reasonable. Erwin was already thinking of doing that himself. Hanji was a very useful scientist, after all. "And second," They continued. "I want to become their official godparent."

Levi scowled at them but it lacked any real hatred. This had been an argument since Levi had adopted those two children and after their marriage, Hanji continued to press about it. It wasn't that they didn't like the scientist enough to offer such a role, but they both knew it would go straight to their head and neither of them would hear the end of it. Who knew, maybe their children would get kidnapped again for a few spontaneous baby sitting sessions.

Erwin looked down at his husband and the two met eyes. You know they'll just keep bothering us about this, Levi's eyes said.

But they do deserve it. After everything we've been through together, they were the one who helped the most. They donated money, helped set up more fundraisers and even kept our children from dying to their starvation and dehydration. They deserve this at least, Erwin's eyes narrowed slightly,

At last, Levi huffed out a sigh but relented. "Alright. You're now their official godparent." Despite his grumpy tone, there was a twitch at the side of his mouth that suggested he found this more amusing than irritating.

Hanji jumped up in excitement. "Yes! You aren't gonna regret it, trust me! We'll have so much fun together! Ya year that, Eren!" They shouted to the boy on the couch who was peacefully watching a show. He didn't bother to look at them. "I'm your godparent now!" An idea seemed to strike them. "Maybe I should throw a neighborhood party to celebrate! The kids should probably get out at least a little so that they don't become too hyper sensitive to the germs and dirt. Besides, I'll bet their friends are all worried and it'll be a while until they get back into school."

This time, Levi did look irritated. "I'm not sending my kids to any parties, especially not at your house. They need more rest and who knows what kinds of germs those other kids could transfer."

"Despite how outrageous that sounds, I have to agree with Levi." Erwin spoke up. "We don't want them to get sick at a time like this and they're still weak. We have to make sure that they stay on a healthy diet until we're absolutely sure they're back to normal."

Of course, that was another question in itself. Would they ever return to normal? There must've been permanent side effects to this level of starvation. They were young children and this was the time that they needed to eat well and grow as best they could. Who knew how this would set them back. He knew that Levi had a similar experience in his childhood, though for a prolonged period of time. As much as he loves his husband, he didn't want all of their children to end up so short. Armin was already the smallest of the three.

Hanji let out a dramatic sigh but nodded. "Fine. I can keep it lowkey-"

"You never keep anything lowkey." Levi interrupted.

"-but I do still think it would be nice for them to get out a little bit. Maybe not today, but soon. They can't get too comfortable staying home with their parents all the time."

Erwin understood that, but a part of him still wanted to hold them tightly and never let them go. He wanted to be sure that they would always be home, never splitting them up or leaving them alone for too long. He wanted to show the affection he felt they needed and had missed over so long of being lost. But...Hanji was right. They always were.

"We'll try to reintroduce them to the outside first. It's easier to regulate them here than to let several other children come into the picture. We don't want their parents to have to do background checks on their child's health. That would be asking too much." He can't imagine the nightmare that would be. Ever parent having to go to a doctor for a check up or even check their records to make sure they didn't carry anything. Besides, it would be very offensive even to suggest and Erwin didn't want to break any of his children's' bonds with their old friends.

"Alright." Hanji stretched. "I'll be heading back home for now. They shouldn't need any of my equipment as long as you stick to their diet. Moblit will probably come by with some stuff to help them sleep as well. We don't want a repeat of what happened last night, right?"

Oh, last night. Erwin felt tired just be thinking about it. It was a nightmare, both for the children and as parents. They had to sleep in that little pillow fort again, which was horrible for Erwin's already aching back, but the worst was the fact that all three of their children decided to wake up at three in the morning and demanded food. It was as if they weren't even tired. Levi had to get up and heat up more soup while Erwin entertained them to the best of his abilities. Even after they all had their fill of food, however, they started to wonder around the living room and wanted to watch TV, or wanted to run in circled or who knew what else. By the time four o'clock hit, Eren was screaming as he ran away from Levi, shouting that he didn't want to go back to bed.

Eventually, they settled down again for another four hours but both Erwin and Levi were dead tired by then. He was thankful for the leave both of them had from work. There was no way either of them could function like that.

It all came down to their sleep schedule and Erwin was determined to correct it. Although it would be interesting to record for science, he wasn't going to sacrifice his own sanity for it. There was only so much he could do for science.

"Thanks again." Levi called out as Hanji walked through the door. He sighed once it was shut and looked at Eren. The boy hadn't moved from his position just yet, which was a little worrying, but his favorite show was on, so it was slightly understandable. "Do you think he's hungry?" Levi asked in a soft tone.

"I think he'd make it known if he were. Besides, Hanji said their stomach most likely shrunk slightly and we know they can't exactly eat that much. A full bowl of soup is their limit so far and we have yet to test out solid foods." There were so many things they had to take into consideration here. What were their children eating, how fast were they eating it, when should they introduce new things, who could they let them hang around, how often should they be running and exercising, how to properly address their mental health. It was a list he never expecting to receive from this situation. This wasn't his first time addressing a few of them, though.

After his wife's death, he had to take everything into account. He had to make sure that both he and Armin were reacting healthily to their situation. He became hyper aware of how they were grieving, so much so that he forced both of them to eat every day, no matter if Armin said he was hungry or not. He also forced his child out of the house a number of times to make sure he was still socializing with more people, but now that Erwin was out of that head space, he could see it was his own way of isolating himself. He wanted control from a situation which he had none, so he forced what he could. He was lucky that Armin didn't end up hating him for it. His son was so kind, even when Erwin felt he didn't deserve it. Just like his mother.

Just as Erwin was about to go looking for the other two children -they couldn't have wondered too far, right?- he felt his phone buzz. Plucking it out of his pocket, he checked the caller ID and then immediately answered. "Commander Nile?" He asked, knowing exactly what this was about.

"I assume Pixis told you he passed this case onto the Military Police, since this is our specialty." Nile spoke with a slight irritation, but that was natural for him.

"Yes. He said you would update me if anything were to change."

"Well, we followed along the clues and we found their headquarters. At least in this region. We're still clearing people out and making sure everything's accounted for, but that isn't the most worrying thing."

What could be more worrying than loosing the monsters who started this?

"We found other children." Nile explained. "Several others. They were all locked into these little rooms, and-"

"I'm coming over." Erwin interrupted. He didn't want to hear about this. He wanted to see them for himself. Levi gave him a confused look as he shrugged on his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Levi asked in a half whisper. He looked between Erwin and the phone.

Erwin pulled it away for only a second. "Nile found their headquarters. I'm going."

Levi stopped him. "Wait. You've already been gone long enough. Let me go."

It was true. Erwin wanted to stay with the children, having missed a few hours when they just barely arrived, but he was also the commander of the Survey Corps and deserved to see what those terrible people did. But the look in Levi's eyes made him falter.

"I'll take pictures if you want."

Finally, Erwin signed as he let his jacket slip off again. "Alright. I'll have Nile call you instead, but please control your temper. I don't want to get into trouble because I left you and Nile alone." He knew how hard it was for them to cooperate.

"I promise I won't mess this up. It's too important." Levi pulled out his own phone as he shrugged on a leather jacket.

Erwin returned his own phone to his ear just in time to hear Nile call his name. "Commander, I'm passing you onto Levi. I can't go right now, so he's going instead." He could hear the man begin to argue, but his voice grew distant as someone else started talking to him. In the mean time, Levi headed out the door with his keys in his hand. Once the door shut, a soft voice called from the couch.

"Where's Papa going?" He asked urgently, already starting to get up.

"He's doing some work stuff, okay? I promise he'll be back soon." It wasn't a lie, since Erwin's definition of soon was at least three hours, but he knew that wouldn't satisfy Eren.

"Where's he going? I wanna come too! I wanna go with Papa." Erwin had to stop the child from grabbing that the front door. They could hear the car back out of the drive way from there. "Let me go!" He demanded as he kicked at Erwin's legs.

"Eren, please. You aren't alone. I'm still here and I'll make sure that you're all taken care of. He'll return before you know it."

"No!" Eren struggled in his hold and Erwin finally put his phone down to properly address this. Nile could wait.

"Eren-"

"Stop it! I wanna go with Papa! I wanna!" Tears pooled at the edges of his eyes as he squeezes them shut. He never stopped kicking or flailing.

From the corner of his eye, Erwin saw Mikasa walk in as well, her face dark as she approached. This couldn't be good.

She stayed a few feet away, but her entire being radiated anger. "Let him go." She demanded.

"Mikasa, please. Daddy's trying to tell Eren that he can't go to work with Papa." He tried desperately. Maybe she would see his point of view and help, as she sometimes did when Eren was being irrational.

"Why is Papa at work? Isn't he supposed to stay here with us?" Her dark stare didn't lighten.

Erwin stood up straight as he attempted to hold Eren still. "Mikasa, he has work to do and it could be very important." Would mentioning the place they just left act as a trigger? He didn't want to find out, especially with how bad the situation was already. He didn't need both of them falling into some kind of panic attack.

"Let me go!" Eren shouted as he kicked his feet on Erwin chest. "Let me go now!" The tears started to spread as he pushed away but Erwin held him close. He would fall otherwise.

Mikasa got closer. "Put him down." She crouched slightly, as if preparing for an attack. Although she was young, he had read the records before marrying Levi. These two were capable of things no five year old should be.

"Daddy?" A soft voice called at him again and he turned in time to see Armin staring at them. He still looked weak but the little crutch Hanji had given him was working well to help him build strength him his arms and right leg. His eyes were wide, almost like he was horrified. "What...What are you doing?" He spoke slowly around the gauze still in his mouth.

"Let me go!" Eren screamed again as he started to kick Erwin's face this time.

Mikasa rushed towards him and hit the back of his legs, nearly making both of them fall to the floor. "Let him go!" She shouted and hit him again.

"STOP!" Erwin snapped as he finally let Eren go. The boy fell onto his backside, but he didn't look hurt. Erwin made sure that he wouldn't fall more than a foot or so. "All of you, just stop!" He looked at each of them again, his chest rising and falling harshly. "Your Papa went to save more children like you! He went to that horrible place that kept you away and the more you argue, the less I can..."

He could what? It wasn't like Levi depended on him to get where he had to. Nile had likely already given him the location and none of that relied on Erwin. There was nothing he had to do but protect and care for his children. And he wasn't doing the best job at that so far.

As he looked at each of them again, he saw that they weren't angry, but scared. All three of them were scared and it was because of him. Mikasa held Eren close, her grip on him tight, as if she were ready to defend him from a beast. Armin's eyes were wide still as he trembled slightly. All three of them were terrified and Erwin knew it wasn't just because he shouted, which he rarely does.

Suddenly, the situation become clear. He was holding Eren in a way that kept the boy from feeling free. From feeling safe. Mikasa acting on his defense, seeing that he wasn't just being persistent in wanting to go with his Papa, but that he wanted to be let go. They reacted as they naturally should in a dangerous situation while Armin was forced to do nothing but watch because he was injured.

Erwin let out a sigh and knelt down on the carpet. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to sort through this. He make them panic and then got angry in response. He might've already ruined things. In a soft voice, he began to speak. "Eren, I'm sorry." He looked up at the boy, making sure to keep his hands in view, but not outstretched towards him. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Why didn't you let go?" He asked in a shaky voice, his chest falling and rising quickly. Mikasa held him tighter, her dark look now glazing over to something more empty. Was this how they looked while they were locked up in that room?

"I..." How could he respond? "I'm sorry. I promise I don't want to hurt you. Any of you." He took a moment to meet eyes with both Mikasa and Armin as well. The latter child slowly started limping towards them again. He sat beside Mikasa and she wrapped her other arm around him. "Can you forgive me?"

He didn't want to become unreliable to them. They needed more people who they could trust and making Levi that only person would only raise their stress. He needed their forgiveness, as unfair as that seemed at the moment.

Slowly, Eren began to calm down as he sat up. Mikasa loosen her hold but he didn't need to get up just yet anyway. He swallowed and for a moment, everything was quiet. Erwin stared at his son with a silent plead and after what felt like hours, Eren finally gave him a small smile. "It's okay, Daddy." Despite his smile, his voice still shook slightly, though, he didn't look as terrified. "I forgive you."

Mikasa began to protest, which broke Erwin's heart, but Eren stood firm. He gave her a look and whispered something the adult couldn't hear before looking ahead again. Mikasa finally let him go and instead held Armin. The smaller boy didn't seem too upset about that, especially as he leaned into her arms more.

"Maybe we could do something fun to make up for it?" Eren suggested.

Erwin apricated that. He was willing to earn forgiveness. "Like a game?" He asked. What games did they have left? Levi had sold a few of their newer ones since they were in better condition and the older ones were usually too boring for five year olds.

"We can play house." Eren beamed at his own idea. "Yeah! I wanna be the daddy!"

Mikasa finally sat up, now interesting in the idea of playing a game. "Can I be the mommy?" She asked softly.

"But I wanted Armin to be the Papa." He puffed out his cheeks in the same way he always used to. It made Erwin's heart bloom with hope. Maybe things really could go back to the way they were. Maybe they really would be okay. As the children argued over what roles they would play in their house, Erwin sat back and let out a heavy sigh. He would have to talk to Nile about getting interviews with them about what happened. He knew it would be hard and stressful for them to tell, but Erwin couldn't go on like this without knowing what situations to avoid. He wasn't sure what all could be a trigger.

"Daddy gets to be the dog then!" Eren declaimed and Erwin finally came back to the present.

He smiled at the excited looks the children gave him and got onto his hands and knees. He could play a dog. He could play whatever they wanted as long as he could regain their trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter that doesn't switch point of view! Isn't that wild? I had other ideas for this chapter, mostly surrounding Levi and what he was doing, but then I thought that this interactions between Erwin and the three was really needed. On a side note, I'm super grateful to everyone to reads this! I love writing this story and every kind word I receive makes me so happy!


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